Backup thunderbird pop mail as mbox

To backup your Thunderbird POP mail as an mbox file, you can follow these steps:

Method 1: Using Thunderbird's built-in export feature

  1. Open Thunderbird and go to the "File" menu.
  2. Select "Export" and then "Export Mail..."
  3. In the "Export Mail" window, select "Export all messages" and choose "mbox" as the export format.
  4. Choose a location to save the exported file and give it a name (e.g., "backup.mbox").
  5. Click "Export" to start the export process.

Method 2: Using the mboxm command-line tool

  1. Open a terminal or command prompt and navigate to the directory where your Thunderbird profile is located (usually ~/.thunderbird/your-profile-name/).
  2. Run the following command to export your POP mail as an mbox file:
    mboxm -o backup.mbox -f pop3://your-pop-server:port/your-email-address

    Replace your-pop-server, port, and your-email-address with your actual POP server, port, and email address.

Method 3: Using a third-party add-on

There are several third-party add-ons available that can help you export your Thunderbird POP mail as an mbox file. One popular option is the "Export Mail" add-on.

  1. Install the "Export Mail" add-on from the Thunderbird Add-ons website.
  2. Restart Thunderbird.
  3. Go to the "Tools" menu and select "Export Mail..."
  4. In the "Export Mail" window, select "Export all messages" and choose "mbox" as the export format.
  5. Choose a location to save the exported file and give it a name (e.g., "backup.mbox").
  6. Click "Export" to start the export process.

Regardless of the method you choose, the resulting mbox file will contain all your POP mail messages, including headers and bodies. You can use this file to backup your mail or import it into another email client.